Claude's Cafe

Hello!  After an escapade across the equator, I couldn't resist getting on the island hopper back to this little gem of land in the Pacific Ocean. I’ve once again lost track of days and the calendar. Time seems to be a conglomeration of diving, writing about diving and the marine projects, looking at pictures from diving and comparing them to corals and fish in books, surfing, fixing surf boards, Green Banana Paper things, reading, sleeping, playing with the dogs, admiring the ocean, orange sunrises, making coconut and banana smoothies, scouring the island for the Kosraean tangerine, and knowing that if it’s sunny then it will pour soon and visa versa. It’s a wonderful conglomeration of things! Let me backtrack for a moment. In early February, I went to Australia to visit family who live in the rainforest outside of Cairns. Cairns is in the northeast part of the country and a primary access point for the Great Barrier Reef. Upon arriving in Australia, I was comforted by...

Greetings from Kosrae! Many sunny days and sweet breezes out here. Here's another blog post to share bits of the island and what I've been up to over the past few weeks. Mount Oma hike + tunnels + local lunch On Sunday we went for a hike! Turns out hiking in the jungle is a whole different escapade than in a New England forest. We turned down a dirt road that felt a lot longer than it actually was because there were so many potholes! At the end of the road was Emmilson’s house with banana trees, breadfruit trees, and taro all around. The hike began from his yard. He also offered us a local lunch when we returned. The jungle was full of lush green vegetation! And Japanese tunnels oooo. The view of the island and ocean from the top was fantastic. Super gorgeous! Feisty sun but refreshing coconuts and a cool breeze. An interesting aspect of the view from the top was seeing pockets of coconut trees which signify an area where people live. Hiking down could mo...